A do-it-yourself guide for getting rid of just about anything.

Best Ways to Get Rid of Wasps

Modified on July 17, 2016

Wasps, as it turns out, come in two varieties: social and solitary. Social wasps have nests, and these are usually the types of wasps that people are trying to get rid of, either because the wasp population has become pestiferous (i.e., noticeable and stingy), or because the wasp nest is too close for comfort.

Wasp Articles

Solitary wasps, on the other hand, are no less intimidating than their social cousins but are indeed much more docile. The fact is solitary wasps have no territory to defend because they often lay their eggs inside of their prey, thus relieving themselves of the burden of building a nest and then defending it. Solitary and other docile species of wasps are good for you because they reduce the populations of many creatures deemed to be pests by humans. Below we will help you identify which kind of wasps you’re dealing with and show you how to get rid of wasps.

Wasp Identification

Yellow Jacket

Paper Wasp

Bald-faced Hornet

European Hornet

Wasp Stings

Because a wasp’s stinger is not barbed like a honey bee’s stinger, the wasp can repeatedly sting its victim. A simple and effective wasp sting treatment is to wash the sting with soap and water, take an antihistamine, and apply ice to the sting. If you are allergic to insect bites of any kind, it is recommended that you seek medical attention immediately, unless you enjoy choking to death. Just don’t say we didn’t warn you.

Identifying Wasps & Wasp Control

This is a perfect example of the solitary wasp. The solitary wasp usually has a very long, thin body and waist; are not particularly colorful; and are usually quite docile. They are not very territorial and will rarely sting humans. They are not considered pests, but they are considered beneficial insects in the economic and gardening sense, seeing as how they tend to prey on garden pests like aphids and beetles. To get rid of wasps of the solitary variety, simply have a spray bottle filled with citrus oil extract on hand for any pesky individuals. Citrus oil extract kills wasps on contact.

Getting rid of paper wasps. Paper wasps are yet another form of beneficial insect and are therefore deemed only a pest if they establish a nest where there happens to be a lot of human traffic. Otherwise, the paper wasp is one of the most harmless species of social wasp, and it’s a real treat to watch them build those amazing nests. Their nests are of a unique structure, much like a honeycomb, without an outer shell like most bee and wasp nests. The safest way to get rid of paper wasps is to purchase a can of pressurized wasp killer and spray the nest in a sweeping motion during the night.

Getting rid of bald-faced hornets. Hornets are one of the most fearsome looking wasps, but they aren’t looking for trouble. Hornets usually live in large, aerial nests and do a lot of their feeding between dusk and dawn. They are territorial but less aggressive than the yellow jacket. The bald-faced hornet is the most common hornet wasp in the U.S. To get rid of hornets, you should also use a can of pressurized wasp killer to spray the nest from a distance during the evening. Bring a flashlight, too, if you’re not certain where the entrance to the nest is.

Getting rid of yellow jackets. Yellow jackets are easy to identify due to their thick waists and bright yellow patterns. Yellow jacket wasps are extremely territorial and aggressive social wasps. They will defend their nests to the bitter end, biting and stinging their way into the next life, often injecting several doses of poison before being wiped away or killed. Of all the wasps, the yellow jacket is considered to be the only “pest” in the family. This means you’ll definitely want to know how best to get rid of yellow jackets.

This is an illustration of a yellow jacket wasp nest.The key to getting rid of yellow jacket wasps is to first identify the nest and then to pump enough poison into the nest to kill all of the yellow jackets in one shot. This is easier said than done. To find the nest, you should wait until dusk when all of the yellow jackets will be returning to the nest. You should be able to pick out a high amount of flying insect traffic in the evening sun. Once you have found the nest, use a can of non-projectile wasp killer to spray the nest later at night. Spraying the nest at night means there is less of a chance that the wasps will come out to fight.

Instructions for Treating Wasp Nests

Wasp nest removal is a fairly simple process. Finding the nest usually entails a quick survey for heavy wasp traffic during dusk or dawn, when wasps tend to return to the nest. Once the sun is down for the evening and you’ve noticed less traffic near the nest, dress yourself with multiple layers of clothing, and find a pair of gloves, just in case. Then, go out to the nest and spray the entrance with any wasp killing agent, like Raid. Spray liberally, but avoid inhaling too much of the poison. Most wasp poisons kill on contact, but it’s best to be safe by slowly leaving the area, as sudden movements can attract attention.

Which wasp killer you use depends on where the nest is:

For nests that are located underground, you will want to use a wasp killer that is not labeled as a projectile spray. You want very little spray for yellow jacket nests that are found underground.

For nests that are elevated, you will want to find a can of wasp and hornet killer that is labeled as a projectile spray. This will ensure a stream of wasp poison roughly 15–20 feet in length, allowing plenty of distance to make a quick escape if necessary. You can pick up Raid at Amazon.

Repeating this process twice or even three times may be necessary until you’re certain the nest has been vacated. Once you see that there is no traffic, it’s probably safe to knock down the nest if it’s an aerial nest, or fill the nest with dirt and gravel if it’s in the ground. This should be the end of your wasp problem until the next migration cycle.

Best Natural Wasp Control Methods

Wasp Trap Instructions:

Find a 2 liter soda bottle and cut the top 1/3 of it off with a box cutter.

Flip the removed top so that the nozzle is facing down, pushing it back into the other 2/3 of the soda bottle to create an inverted cone.

Fix the inverted piece of the bottle with several staples to make sure it fits snuggly inside.

Partially fill the bottle with wasp attractant, soda, or fruit juice concentrate. Make sure you spill a little on the outside to help accentuate the scent of the attractant.

Hang bottle with string or set it on an upended log, or wherever. Wasps should enter the bottle and be confused by the conical entrance, leaving them to starve or drown in the liquid.

Clean and refill the wasp trap every so often to make sure it doesn’t get really, really gross. Or just wrap a plastic bag around it and throw it in a trash can.

Boiling water, or Yellow Jacket stew, as I like to call it, is the order of the day for a yellow jacket nest; that is, if you’re not into spraying poisons all over your lawn. The idea is quite simple. Find a yellow jacket nest by surveying for traffic. Once you’re certain you’ve found the nest, boil a very large pot of water. Then, pour the boiling water into the nest late at night when the wasps are sleeping. This isn’t exactly the most humane way to get rid of wasps, and it’s not necessarily the most effective way, either, but if you’ve been stung recently, I can’t think of a sweeter revenge.

Citrus Oil Extract is starting to see more use as a botanical insecticide. The active ingredients limonene and linalool usually result in near instant death when they come into contact with a wasp. Having a bottle of citrus oil extract on hand while gardening is a great way to kill rogue wasps and continue your work in the garden. There is some controversy about limonene and linalool’s toxicity to mammals. The verdict is still out on it, so, as always, use with care.

We have some kind of small wasp in our basement. We have a double ceiling and I have set off bombs between the drop ceiling and the other. Everyday we find dozens of these dead or dying on the basement floor, but have looked and can find no nest or place of entry. We found dead wasps even before putting the bombs out so I don’t know whats going on. Along with the small ones we have found several larger ones. I want to get rid of these before they start infiltrating the upstairs. What is the best approach?

September 23, 2016 at 2:14 pm

Kensleysays:

Hi, we have a wasp problem at my office, and we have not had a problem really until about 2 weeks ago. There is no nest in sight, inside or outside of the office. They started appearing 1 at a time, but just today, I killed 4 almost within the same span of less than 5 minutes and then 30-45 minutes later, another appeared, totaling it for 5 today. Every other day it’s always almost 2. There are also no visible ways for wasps to get inside our office (there was a slight opening by our window unit air conditioner, but that has since been sealed. They never appear in the morning, always after 1p.m. or 2 p.m. Please help, I don’t know what to do!

September 19, 2016 at 6:29 am

Larysasays:

Hi. We have a nest of yellow jackets behind the siding at the front of our house. They enter by a hole near electricity wires almost at roof level. How can we get rid of them? Also, we have been having problems with wasps for a couple of years. We get rid of one nest and they move somewhere else, but still close to the house. How can we discourage them from moving in? Thanks.

September 17, 2016 at 10:43 am

Marksays:

i have a wasp nest in the ground underneath a cement step, it seems to be a rather large nest, as there is a constant amount of wasp’s going in and out (10-20 every minute). I have put up two wasp traps, and have had some success trapping them, but they do seem to escape them also, that leaves me to think i’m just feeding them, although i have gotten rid of around 40 wasp’s but there still is a large amount of wasp’s coming and going from there nest. Is there a good way to kill the nest as there is only about 6 inches under the steps, and they are about 2 feet in.

September 15, 2016 at 7:40 pm

brenda ginnsays:

Hi there! So glad you are here to help!!! I have potters’ wasps building a nest on my condo balcony! I am 6 floors up. The next is on the roof of the balcony. I bought Raid Wasp and Hornet spray to get rid of it. Here’s my problem: my balcony door opens on the right side. That’s my only exit/entry. The next is 2 ft in front of it, and the next faces AWAY from the door. So its holes are facing out of my balcony. If I spray the holes, I have to stand away from my only exit/entrance door, I’d be trapped by the wasps. So can I just spray the heck out of it, even if I can’t reach the holes? Will that work? My plan is to stand in my patio door and spray the heckers out of it. Do you think that will work? Thank you!

August 26, 2016 at 7:46 am

Fionn McCarthysays:

What we do at work and at home is we get an old jar (example: a jam jar) and we fill it with jam about 6 teaspoons. Then we add water and fill that to about half way. Put the lid on the jam jar and poke two holes close together through the lid so the wasps can get in. they will immediately go for the jam which has water over it and they will drown in the water. very effective way of killing them. it kills about 90% of them maybe more
leave them there for a couple of days refilling it and empyting the dead wasps

Jim, they’d probably just find a different exit. Have you spoken to the property management?

August 20, 2016 at 4:47 pm

Jim G.says:

I just moved into a 3rd floor apartment in Omaha Nebraska. On either side of my balcony I believe there are nests. I see a lot of traffic on both sides but more so to the South….which happens to be my bedroom. They go in and out of the eves. I was awakened one morning by a buzzing noise that sounded like it was coming from the window…..I could not see any signs of the flying pests but I could still hear the buzzing. Eric…..THERE IN THE WALLS!!
As I mentioned, I’m very high up and their entrance to the nest is very difficult to reach. I want to plug the hole but I can’t reach it. And if I do manage to plug the entrance, will this kill them or just piss them off?

Lori, honestly the only thing I can think of to spray them with that won’t hurt your car is water. Unfortunately, that’d probably just anger them. You might not even have a nest nearby. They roam a pretty long way. Do you know what kind they are? Has anyone been stung yet?

Chavon, they’re probably just wondering where the hell their nest went! I wouldn’t worry about it.

August 15, 2016 at 10:48 am

Lorisays:

How do you spray wasps to get off your car without ruining the paint on my car? We also have a lot of wasps on our patio and on the bushes, we can’t find the nests. They keep multiplying. Nothing works.

August 14, 2016 at 11:17 am

Jude Smithsays:

Hi, had two pretty small wasps nests outside our house. Got rid of them last night but appear to have more ways this morning and I am not sure what to do. They appear to be getting aggressive. I have had a look and cannot see another nest anywhere… Help!

August 13, 2016 at 12:23 pm

Chavonsays:

Hello, I had a paper wasp nest forming on my porch overhang. An exterminator come out and remove it so that is no longer the problem. What ever the exterminator sprayed, killed the wasps on contact, they fell from the hive and some died still attached. When he knocked the hive down I noticed that a quite a few of the larvae/eggs fell out of it. He did remove all the dead wasps, Not sure if any were smashed in the process. However, as I checked later, there were still the larvae (although dead) on the porch. I must note that it was pretty hot so they looked partially dried out when I returned that afternoon. I removed them with a paper towel and swept the porch off. If at any point I smashed the larvae, will it too release the “attack pheromone”. I now see onesie/twosie wasps coming around. Are they possibly looking for the old nest, or are they attracted pheromones left behind? Can pheromones be removed or masked? chemicals not a problem!!

Zander, outside of spraying the bejeezus out of everything, all I can really suggest is to try to make your yard a monoculture of all grass. Get some broadleaf killer so that you can get anything that might flower and lure in bees and wasps.

JoAnne, is the mirror assembly easy to remove? Is it one of the ones that just sticks to the windshield?

July 27, 2016 at 7:27 am

Carole wilcocksays:

Hi can you help me please we used a foam based spray to kill off a wasp nest but it’s been a wk now we do seem to have eradicated the flying wasp in and out the nest but we still see wasp dropping onto the lawn have u any idea how long this is likely to happen for.. Many thanks

July 25, 2016 at 1:22 pm

Terrisays:

We are having a huge wasp problem this summer. While we know where the nests are located, they cannot be seen or directly sprayed. (They are nesting in our privacy fence which has been built so there are two sides so there is not a raw finished side!) We spray as well as possible between the slats from a distance, but have not come close to eradicating the problem! Any suggestions besides traps? Two of these problem areas are located on both sides of the back gate we go in and out of several times a day!

July 22, 2016 at 5:09 am

Zandersays:

I live in southwest Iowa and I am trying to mow my backyard, there are a large amount of wasps everywhere, and I am afraid of being stung. What do I do? P.S. I have a big red riding lawnmower. Thank you!!

July 21, 2016 at 2:28 pm

Francessays:

I have wasps in the chimney i lit a fire and tied to smoke them out they are still there any help please

July 21, 2016 at 9:02 am

JoAnnesays:

I’ve just discovered a yellow jacket hive inside my car’s rear view mirror enclosure. I have wasp spray but it appears that it can compromise the car’s paint. I have no idea how to get close enough to squirt the stuff into a very small opening without damaging the paint. Would it be pretty crazy to go out at night, tie a gallon size, clear plastic bag around the whole mirror assembly and just wait for them to die? Thanks!

Rebecca, do a quick Google search for “solitary wasp”. Do any of those look like the culprit?

July 4, 2016 at 5:15 pm

Rebeccasays:

Please help! I have been stung twice in one week by, what I think is some kind of wasp because it can sting or maybe bite also several times. The culprit is long, slender, dark brown or black. Maybe a little orange color on its underside. I have a second story deck; the things will sting me before I can get totally out of the door, both times on my feet. My neighbors, friends and myself cannot find a nest anywhere. The deck has a first floor patio under it, so we have looked above and below it for a nest. I am having a major reaction, but not yet antiphflaxite Shock reaction. The itching is unbearable and my foot and ankle is so swollen for 4 or 5 days, that I walk with difficulties. This from a woman who works in construction! There is not a sworm of them. Usually just one at a time. Could they be carpenter wasps? How I kill them without knowing where they are coming from? I live in rural NC.

Sarah, what do they look like? What kind of traps have you put out? Sweet? Meaty?

June 14, 2016 at 6:15 pm

Sarahsays:

I’m having an issue with what I think are hornets. My problem is I can’t find the nest anywhere, but the hornets are constantly buzzing around the entrance to my home, I’m talking like 5-10 at a time. I’ve tried traps but they don’t seem to be attracted to them and I haven’t even caught one. I’m having some kids coming to visit in the next month and I would really love for them to be able to go outside without worrying that they are going to get stung. Any ideas?

May 13, 2016 at 1:59 am

barry nichollssays:

Hi can you please help I have gable end on my building and today noticed wasps going in at various points like upto 8/10 different holes in mortar.what should I do?

Michele, it’s unlikely, but possible that the queen stayed under the shed. The rest of the colony will have expired. Is it possible for you to just repair the rotten sections? If one colony is gone, it doesn’t mean another won’t take its place. The space under sheds is pretty ideal for wasps.

April 14, 2016 at 3:29 pm

Michele McManussays:

I had an infestation of wasps last year underneath a shed. The shed is 10′ X 12′. The base/foundation inside the shed is intact. However, out side in several places there is about a foot of wood that has rotted. Are they still there hibernating?﻿ Or do I have to worry about them returning?
Short of disassembling the shed and building a new foundation to get to the hive (a huge job), can I dust or spray under the shed? It would have to be far reaching and/ or a strong deterrent all around the shed.
Thank you for any info/advice you can give me

Todd, have you tried a trap with just some meat in in? Nothing sweet? I’d recommend a chunk of pork chop to start. It might help you get at least some of the wasps and the bees should leave it alone.

March 19, 2016 at 6:00 am

Toddsays:

Good Morning, I’m in a bit of a pickle. I live in Georgia and have honey bees first it was the yellow jackets robbing and killing them, then the Jap-Hornets and wax moths. Now red wasps and the more aggressive type of paper wasp that looks like a cross between a yellow jacket and a red wasp. Anyway they don’t mess with my bees that much but like to be around the area and make nests everywhere they can. I found hitting them when they land with spray not only kills mine but some of the neighbour’s wasps too. Works great!! If I’m here…. I work out of town so I need something that will trap and or kill them without killing my bee’s. Can you help???

BTW…. I trap and kill Yellow Jackets, Bald Faced hornets, Jap Hornets, and wax moths using the 2 litter bottle method. Mix: 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 Cup beer, vinegar, or wine, 1/2 cup warm/hot water, and a teaspoon of banana then put a little of the peel in as well.. works great and my bees leave it alone.

quick story for small wasp nests that are bugging you I found one under the railing of deck stairs I got one of the tennis racket zappers and blocked the nest with it then used the spray they have not come back to that deck now they are coming to a large build to big for that idea

nonplused, PLEASE let us all know if it worked for you. If not, we’ll try to figure something else out. And thanks for the story about the basement bees!

August 31, 2015 at 11:46 am

Marannesays:

My house is fully surrounded by trees and yesterday we noticed a large amount of wasps in the ventilation hole of one room at 1st floor. They are quite big, much bigger than the paper wasp. I think they are the yellow jacket type. The hole is about 16ins deep and leads to a room which thankfully is covered by netting. any suggestions just in case I won’t be able to find expert hands. Thanks maryanne

August 29, 2015 at 10:24 pm

nonplusedsays:

Oh and a bee story. We had an infestation of bees in our basement last summer, every day we would have to vacuum up another 8 to 10. I know bees are our friends, but not in the fully developed walkout basement. I found a nest (well, assumed I had found a nest I couldn’t see it) under our front stairs and sidewalk, all concrete. So I checked the inside of the house where the stairs would be just outside and sure enough mice had made a nest in the insulation but were no longer present except one mummified one. Probably due to our cats. So anyway I removed all the gross insulation, muchly chewed up and full of mouse droppings, the dead mouse, etc. I then tried to fill the cavity under the stairs with expanding foam but a whole can later it wasn’t full. So I plugged the hole, reinsulated with Styrofoam board, and then sealed everything with that sticky vapor barrier. No more bees in the house.

August 29, 2015 at 10:11 pm

nonplusedsays:

Does anyone have experience using a foaming spray like Wilson 1 Shot on a ground yellow jacket nest? I have one that is making it difficult to mow the lawn, a large nest I think although the hole isn’t big there are at least 6 wasps in sight on the way out or in at any moment during the day.

Tonight my wife and I went full retard on them. She wanted to try the water and dish soap trick but the whole bucket just disappeared. So I found the entrance in the mud using the straw with the Wilson 1 Shot and pumped about 3/4 of a can in there before the ground actually burst up with foam.

My wife also wanted to try the “glass bowl” trick but I am guessing that works best for small nest not thousands of individuals. So she left the bowl over the hole and I pumped it full of the 1 shot too.

Cindy, they’re probably nesting in the walls. Cinder block foundation, by chance? Vinyl siding? You need to find the place where they’re going in and out. Do this by setting up a chair either in the morning when they’re leaving the nest and/or as the sun is going down and they’re coming back. Sit down with a beverage, relax, and watch. It might take a few days, as you can’t see every side of the house at once. But once you know where they’re getting in, you’ll have a much better chance of getting rid of them.

August 27, 2015 at 8:59 am

Conniesays:

Can you please help……we have paper wasp in the basement but we cannot find the nest. We have found 3-4 dead in the morning and evening each day. Now they are starting to come upstairs. We have 2 cats so we leave the basement door open. We have looked outside but do not find where anyplace where they are coming in. We have a deck on the back of the house that we cannot get under to see if they are entering the house under the deck. I have sprayed Wasp spray in and around any openings I found by the insulation. Should we pull the insulation away from the basement wall to look for the nest? Any help you can offer would be appreciated.

Kevin, I’d plug the hole with a little bit of Quikrete or something of the sort. The folks at the hardware store should be able to help you with that.

I think if I were in your position, since the nest is difficult to get to, I would bait them. Continue on with your spray, but also put some food out for them. Try a couple things to see what they like. It may be grape jelly, it may be canned cat food. Try both and see what they’re more attracted to. It seems to change depending on season. Once you figure out what they’re liking, keep putting it out for a few days so they get used to it. After the few days, mix a little Borax in with the bait. I would start with about 1 tsp of borax per about 1/2 cup of bait. Then they’ll take it into the nest and poison the whole colony. Borax, found in the laundry detergent section of any store, is basically just boric acid, which is a slow acting poison that’s been used in pesticides for years.

Give it a shot. It does take a little patience, but it usually works.

August 1, 2015 at 6:39 am

Kevinsays:

Hey Eric — just following up. I’m starting to think that the spray I’m using isn’t totally effective. I sprayed directly into the hole last night, and several bees are still buzzing this morning.

July 31, 2015 at 10:19 am

Kevinsays:

Thanks for your response, Eric. It’s Spectracide foaming aerosol with Prallethrin and Lambda-Cyhalothrin (hope that’s what you were looking for).

Last night I was really able to get the extender deep inside the whole and spray for 5-10 seconds. Do you have any thoughts about how I should plug the hole?

A few days ago, I found yellojackets — as many as 8-12 just in my viewing — flying into a small hole (size of a nickel) in the back of my house. It’s roughly 1 foot off the ground and in our block cement foundation. I later discovered a few of them downstairs in our unfinished basement, but I haven’t been able to find their entry point in the basement.

Now … I’ve sprayed for several days — both early in the morning and at night — with foaming solution. I can see it’s working to some degree, as I’ve found dead bees in the basement. But I still see several of them buzzing around the outside entry point. And it’s tough to gauge any progress because I can’t actually see where their nest is.

Tiffany, if you do a quick Google search for “soffit mesh”, that stuff works pretty well. Otherwise, I wouldn’t worry too much about them. Paper wasps really aren’t very aggressive.

July 14, 2015 at 3:58 pm

Tiffanysays:

Hello. I believe we have paper wasps hanging around our house; we’ve seen the paper nests appear underneath the roof over-hang or eave and they are small which indicates they’re newly built. We don’t let them get any bigger either. They especially like to “sniff” around the edges of the roof and the gutters. I’ve heard that wasps have pheromones and that after you smack a wasp, they’ll give off those pheromones which will attract any other wasp(s) nearby and they’ll go in “attack mode”. My question is, what’s the best way to keep those “sniffers” away from the eaves and roof edges?
We use Spectracide Bug Stop and spray those areas with that, but they always seem to come back. We also haven’t seen any big nests, although I’m sure there has to be one close by. Any suggestions would be appreciated!